Temple of Apollo, Delphi

This article is about the temple of Apollo in Delphi. For other uses, see Temple of Apollo.

The Temple of Apollo within the Sanctuary of Delphi in Phokis was one of the most significant and important temples dedicated to the god Apollo in Greece. In classical antiquity, it served as the seat of the Pythia, the most well known Oracle of Apollo.

History

The temple, as the rest of the Sanctuary, was under the control of the Cult of Kosmos during the 5th century BCE.

In 480 BCE, king Leonidas of Sparta visited the temple, coming face to face with the Pythia at the time, as well as members of the Cult of Kosmos. Following the meeting in which both the Pythia and the Cultists urged Leonidas to cease hostilities with the Achaemenid Empire's Xerxes I, Leonidas disagreed and left, telling his officer Dienekes to rally their troops.

Decades later in 431 BCE, Leonidas' descendant the misthios Kassandra was urged by her friends Barnabas and Herodotos to seek out the counsel of the Pythia at the time.

Pushing past the line to enter the temple, Kassandra consulted the Pythia on the whereabouts of her family. The Pythia, recognising Kassandra as the child who was thrown off Mount Taygetos, warned her about the Cult of Kosmos before being taken away by her guards. Kassandra was chased out of the temple before she could find out more.

Behind the scenes

In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, the temple interior is seen only in cutscenes. In the Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece as well as over the course of Sokrates' Trial, the interior of the temple can be freely explored, including visiting the chamber below the main hall, supposedly the place where the Pythia was historically said to receive her visions.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of the interior of the temple by Hugo Puzzuoli
• 
  Leonidas meeting the Pythia in 480 BCE
• Kassandra, Herodotos and Barnabas outside the temple
  Kassandra, Herodotos and Barnabas outside the temple

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey